Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Monday that Poland had asked Germany for permission to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
Morawiecki told Fox News that Poland has been putting together a group of countries that are willing to send Leopards to Ukraine, even if Germany does not agree.
“We will ask [Germany] for permission, but this is a secondary theme,” Morawiecki said, according to Fox News. “Even if, eventually, we do not get this permission, we — within this small coalition — even if Germany is not in this coalition, we will hand over our tanks, together with the others, to Ukraine.”
“Evidence of the Russian army’s war crimes can be seen on television and on YouTube,” said Morawiecki in an interview with PAP, the Polish state news agency, on Sunday. “What more does Germany need to open its eyes and start to act in line with the potential of the German state?”
Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend, and Graham shared his support for more tanks.
“The debacle regarding sending tanks to Ukraine must end. It is impossible for Ukraine to expel Russia without tanks. I am hoping Germany and the United States will both send tanks ASAP – opening up other countries’ desire to help Ukraine,” Graham said in a statement on Sunday. “The tanks are outcome determinative in expelling Russia from Ukraine.”
Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, agreed with Graham, noting the difference “just one” Abrams tank could make.
Moscow warned against escalation in response to Western pledges of weapons for Ukraine. On Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated the Kremlin’s claim that Western aid to Ukraine might have “unpredictable” effects.
“We have said on numerous occasions that escalation is the most dangerous path, and the consequences may be unpredictable,” Ryabkov said. “Our signals are not listened to, and Russia’s adversaries keep raising the stakes.”
The U.S. and other allies have pressured Germany to send the vehicles because German Leopard 2 tanks are thought to be the best for the conflict in Ukraine. Germany has already sold Leopard tanks to nearby European countries, like Poland, that are close to Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities said that tanks, particularly German-made Leopards, were critical in fighting Russian forces. Russia aims to conscript 1.5 million soldiers in the coming years. Last week, Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister, announced the troop increase, which will be complete by 2026.